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One of the must-see shows, as this year draws to an end,
is a sampling of work by Peter Blume at ACA Galleries. This show is in
conjunction with a larger show at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and
that show seems to be the first major retrospective of Blume’s work since his
death in 1992. Blume was born in Belarus, of Jewish heritage, but was brought
to Brooklyn as a child. He was one of the first American artists to embrace
surrealism and his style seems to be a blend of various types of painting
incorporating techniques that range from the Renaissance to Folk Art and, of
course, to Surrealism.
Blume is represented in virtually all the major American
modern art museums but it seems that he has never adequately received his props
– these concurrent shows demonstrate that he had created a unique style from
his eclectic influences and was dealing with themes of significant cultural and
historical relevance.
One of the aspects of this multi-faceted artist’s work
which I enjoyed at ACA was his fascination with the presence of rock formations and the effect rock
formations still have on us. Huge, complex rock formations, either natural or
altered by humans (dolmens, megaliths etc.) were huge in the history of our
religious, spiritual and cultural development, and they still resonate with
us.
In one of Blume’s most popular
paintings, at the Art Institute in Chicago, you see a grandiose rock with
several peaked and contoured projections surrounded by less magnificent
construction projects and partially destroyed buildings. The implication seems to be that underlying the
rationalist approach under which our society is constructed is an ancient and
direct experience that dwarfs our normal approach to our lives.
(Blume - Rock - Art Institute of Chicago)
In the current ACA show there is a wonderful painting of
a couple literally picnicking among an amazing rock formation. One figure is sketching the formations – so
at the same time this couple (a la Caspar David Friedrich?) is basking in the
ineffable effect the rocks provide while also realizing there is some difficult
to grasp significance and trying to capture it through imitation.
Actually, they are not trying to ‘realize’
anything, they seem to have moved beyond interpretation and are wholly
comfortable and in union among that aspect of nature which probably first
engendered the sense in us that there was something more to nature and our
lives that could be slowly but surely discerned but not spoken of directly.
The website Intelligent Relations says this of Daniel Gauss' essays: "With a keen eye for analysis and a passion for exploring complex subjects, Daniel's writing aims to provoke thought and spark meaningful conversations."
Read the essays of Daniel Gauss here (free, free, free): https://goodmenproject.com/author/daniel-gauss/
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